1. Field of the invention.
This invention relates generally to muzzle devices for firearms, and more particularly to adjustable, personalized stabilizers for firearms.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
Muzzle brakes for firearms have been utilized for many years. Probably one of the best known muzzle brakes is the Cutts Compensator which came into relatively wide use around 1930. The Cutts Compensator is described in CUTTS, U.S. Pat. No. 1,636,357. The Cutts Compensator as shown in the patent, has a body with slots through which the escaping gases are forced by the pressure in the body, and the slots are all slanted toward the rear of the weapon and toward the firer. The slots on the Cutts device are also in two general configurations. First the slots are all oriented so that they permit gas to escape in one direction such as vertical, or they are disposed about the body to permit the gas to escape in two directions namely horizontally and vertically. Mention is made in the text that the orientation of the Cutts device can be adjusted so that the direction of the force caused by escaping gases can be controlled. There are two distinct disadvantages to the Cutts Compensator. First, the gases escaping from the slots tend to be blasted to the rearward in and around the face and hands of the firer. Secondly, the amount of escaping gases can only be controlled by determining the size and number of slots to te cut into the body of the Cutts Compensator. There is no provision for adjusting for the amount of controlled escaping gases after the Cutts Compensator is manufactured. Two other patents typify the developments in the field of attachment to muzzles of firearms. Moore, U.S. Pat. No. 2,110,165 teaches a type of muzzle device for machine guns that enhances the rearward recoil in order to compensate for a massive bolt and barrel arrangement. The Moore teaching shows that a plug may be inserted in the end of the barrel of a weapon allowing the escaping gases to impinge thereon to enhance the recoil rather than to diminish or control the effects of recoil. Russell, U.S. Pat. No. 2,340,821 teaches an extension of the barrel inside of a compensatcr to provide rifling for shot guns. Russel's device is to provide a means to spread the shot pattern after the shot wad leaves the muzzle of the weapon by imparting a rotary motion to the shot wad. Russel did provide that his shot spreader could be slightly separated from the muzzle of the weapon so as to permit communication by the gases with the compensator in which the Russell device was installed. However, the communication is necessarily limited because the shot wad must not be permitted to substantially expand before entering the shot spreader. A device substantially different in principle, but which to a degree tends to accomplish the same objectives as the present invention is taught by Gwinn, U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,413. Gwinn uses two chambers into which gas is trapped and permitted to escape under designed conditions.